Sprucing up the kitchen for a cause
Good day dear readers. I'm Gail Ciampa, your Providence Journal food and dining editor.
My twenty-something daughter is going to her first wedding in a few days. The groom is a college friend who lives in Vermont. He and his bride wanted no gifts but their families requested they do a registry list so they did. My daughter sent them the wheelbarrow they included from Home Depot.
Since they live on a farm, she thought it a perfect gift.
It reminded me of my wedding 39 years ago. We got so many lovely gifts, it was overhwhelming. But my mother told me to enjoy it. I wouldn't get presents forever. How true is that?
How nice is it, though, when I update some kitchen accessories, that it can be for a cause. Which brings me to the Pampered Chef Fundraiser for The Samaritans of RI and its Forget-Me-Not Gallery.
The Samaritans do good work providing suicide prevention resources and grief support. Their mission has never been more important. The pandemic has done such a job on mental health, especially for young people.
So I was glad to shop for items that I could use and the proceeds will go to the Samaritans. I got a new mandoline for slicing potatoes and vegetables. I have one, but always manage to cut my fingers with it. The design of this one, pictured here, protects my digits.
I love the new pizza brick. It's very thin and that is the secret to getting it hot enough to make a crisp pizza crust at home. I also got a new pizza cutter as mine has been challenging of late.
I hadn't shopped at Pampered Chef for years and recalled now the excellence of the products.
The fundraiser goes through Sept. 13, and you can shop online at pamperedchef.com/party/samaritansri to participate. You can email feelpamperedchefkathi@gmail.com with any questions.
Your money will never go to a better cause.
It looks like spring has finally sprung after the cold and wind of last weekend. (How many more times will I have to write this before we put away heavy sweaters and quilts, with confidence?)
This weekend, Narragansett Beer is kicking off the summer of seafood and their seafood beer Fresh Catch at their brewery in Providence with a pop-up from Matunuck Oyster Bar. It's Sunday, May 15 from 1 to 5 p.m. at 71 Tockwotton St.
You can enjoy freshly shucked oysters, clams and shrimp cocktail while sipping Fresh Catch Blonde Ale, which will be available at the brewery in exclusive new cans.
If you can't make that event, put this one on your calendar: National Lobster Day with Blount Clam Shack Food Truck at Narragansett Brewery on Wednesday, June 15 from noon to 7 p.m. The menu from Blount includes more than just lobster rolls.
There's some good news of growth from The Industrious Spirit Company (ISCO) as they announced their expansion into Massachusetts today. If you remember, ISCO is the first Providence distillery established since Prohibition, and they opened during the pandemic in 2020.
Their recent launch of Ostreida, the first vodka distilled with oysters in the United States, has created a pent-up demand for the product. To celebrate the new state launch, ISCO has distilled a special batch of the product using Powder Point Oysters from Duxbury, Massachusetts.
They have several events to celebrate as well, including one in South Dartmouth and Cambridge. On June 5, Little Moss, littlemoss.com, in the village of Padanaram, South Dartmouth will host an afternoon deck soiree featuring Ostreida cocktails paired with small plates and hor d'oeurves. On June 10, Summer Shack, summershackrestaurant.com, in Cambridge, is hosting a TGIF Cocktail Hour and Meet the Distiller event featuring Ostreida cocktail specials and a special gift basket giveaway. Find more online at their website iscospirits.com.
I'm thrilled this week to share the story about Shish Kabob, the only Persian restaurant in Rhode Island. Ali Joneidi came to the U.S. seven years ago from Tehran, Iran, when he married Sogrand Raissi. Her family had immigrated to R.I. years earlier.
Now he's opened his dream restaurant in Pawtucket, one serving all his favorite Persian dishes from grilled meats to baklava.
It's a wonderful, intimate spot that kept the name from the former restaurant on the site, which was Lebanese Shish Kabob. That may change when and if Joneidi opens a second, bigger restaurant.
For now, go get transported on Smithfield Avenue in Pawtucket.
More: They moved to RI from Iran. Now they've opened RI's only Persian restaurant
I love this above photo that shows Narragansett Beer's brewer Lee Lord visiting Finback Brewery in Queens to do a collaboration beer.
The New York brewery is hosting a huge beer festival, called Whale Watching, in Pawtucket on May 21.
That makes no sense until you learn about Basil Lee, co-founder of Finback, a Harvard University-educated architect who followed his passion to open a brewery. He told me that there are really few breweries in New York City's boroughs, so it was a smart move.
His roots are in Rhode Island, where his parents and uncle ran the China Inn in Pawtucket for 43 years until 2020.
Read all about it.
More: Why is a New York brewery coming to Rhode Island to hold its first-ever festival?
For some pretty huge restaurant news, check on providencejournal.com tomorrrow for an exclusive story. It will be featured in the Sunday Journal for you print lovers. But either way, don't miss it.
That's it for, now dear readers. I'll see you next week right here. If you like our time together, tell a friend to sign up here to receive my weekly newsletter, Gail's Food Feed.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: support the samaritans with shopping and lots of food and dining news
